Walking with Dogs

I'm staying at my sister's place while renovations are being done on my flat (the bathroom is unavailable during this time, so I had to relocate).  My sister has almost always owned dogs, and currently has a Labradoodle called Lexi, whom I tolerate while staying.  I fully admit I'm not a dog lover, or owner (I find they lick too much, are smelly, constantly seeking attention, and having to be cleaned up after).  I avoid dogs when I'm out walking as much as possible, even turning around on a trail and heading back the way I've come.  You might have read in previous posts that I have been bitten by strange dogs twice (the first requiring lengthy and uncomfortable medical treatment) and lunged at multiple times while out walking however, in many cases it is the irresponsible owner, not the dog, that I find at fault - if the owner is looking after their pet the way they should be, I should never have to feel afraid or in danger, or be injured.

I've gained some weight, so I'm walking the 15km loop around Katikati (mentioned here) as much as I can while staying here.  I've been twice.  I was curious as to what it is like to walk with a dog (having read some walking memoirs that include canine companions), so I've taken Lexi both times.

Lexi is probably the perfect dog to take walking - she obeys commands (like heel, sit, leave, wait), doesn't bark at all when not in guard mode (i.e on the property), and avoids defecating when away from home (although she will on command, should you need her to for any reason - I haven't found a reason).  She's also a bit of a coward, starting at any unusual noise (like if I brush past a shrub), and she likes to set the pace - being out front 99% of the time.

Contrary to what I usually experience, most other dogs we encountered were leashed (awesome!).  Some owners put on a leash as soon as they knew they were being observed (not really awesome), and we only actually encountered one, very yappy dog, that remained off-leash (totally not awesome).  Whenever I came up behind, or passed, another person I reigned in Lexi's leash so she remained right at my side (something I wish all owners do) and wherever possible we kept our distance.  I did not need to use the doo-doo bags (see above paragraph why) [edit: the longer I walked her, the more likely she had to go] and even if I did, Lexi had no opportunity to make a mess without my knowing about it (again, something some owners need to learn).

As for my experience with a dog while out walking, I found it distracting to be honest.  My usual wandering attention, taking in scenery, weather and nature, was instead focused on Lexi and what she was doing, or who or what we might encounter around each bend in the trail.  Even my thoughts were not as abstract or free as would normally be when walking.  She wasn't even great company, almost completely ignoring me most of the time, only pausing to look back briefly to ensure I was still tethered to the back end of the leash.  Admittedly we were walking a trail I've walked numerous times in the past, and I was walking more for exercise (and some way-too-early training) than for enjoyment of the walk itself anyway.

This morning, Lexi was in my face from the moment I got up until I had done exercises and breakfast and eventually settled onto the couch before she finally gave up on trying to convince me we needed to do the same walk for the third day in a row (I would have, but I was a little achy from the previous 2 days and the weather looked like rain).

I was glad I took the opportunity to see what long distance walking is like with a canine companion, but I think for my future holidays I'll be doing it alone, as usual (and to do them the way that gives me most enjoyment).  However, Lexi is welcome to come along for the exercise when I walk my usual local trails while training for those future holidays.

On a side note: I try not to post about walks I've already done a post about (although I've broken that rule twice) which is one reason I've not put any posts up for a while, as I've been mostly walking the Stoneham walk in Kawerau, and now my 15km one around Katikati.  Also, with a combination of working, the cost of petrol, and not having any decent length walks near my house in Matata, I haven't done anything new in ages.  If Covid allows it, I should be heading back to the U.K. in a year's time, so there will hopefully be a number of new U.K. long distance walks to post about then.